Best & Worst of the Olympics

CaptionOlympics Best/Worst

US Presswire

By Denise Martin, Special to the Times, Todd Martens and Sheigh Crabtree, Los Angeles Times staff writers With the Olympics having given us two weeks of nonstop sports, it was hard not to get caught up in some of the drama, even for the less-athletically inclined. Michael Phelps' quest for eight gold medals was a week's worth of tension, and the American female gymnasts took part in a near epic battle with Team China. And new questions arose just as the Olympics began. For instance, could the president of the United States escape Beijing without slapping the bare back of a volleyball player? OK, so the last one probably wasnt on anyones mind before the Olympics started, nor did anyone anticipate the role Morgan Freeman would play in this years Games. Morgan Freeman? Thats right. Here are the best and worst of the Games, from a more pop-culturally inclined perspective (read: nothing thats going to irritate our sports bloggers too much).

By Denise Martin, Special to the Times, Todd Martens and Sheigh Crabtree, Los Angeles Times staff writers With the Olympics having given us two weeks of nonstop sports, it was hard not to get caught up in some of the drama, even for the less-athletically inclined. Michael Phelps' quest for eight gold medals was a week's worth of tension, and the American female gymnasts took part in a near epic battle with Team China. And new questions arose just as the Olympics began. For instance, could the president of the United States escape Beijing without slapping the bare back of a volleyball player? OK, so the last one probably wasnt on anyones mind before the Olympics started, nor did anyone anticipate the role Morgan Freeman would play in this years Games. Morgan Freeman? Thats right. Here are the best and worst of the Games, from a more pop-culturally inclined perspective (read: nothing thats going to irritate our sports bloggers too much). (US Presswire)

WORST: London To ease any Olympic withdrawal, the games closing ceremony comes built with a nod to the next host city, in this case, London in 2012. And London rocketed in the excitement by cruising into Beijing via a double-decker bus. Whoo! Honk! Honk!

WORST: London To ease any Olympic withdrawal, the games closing ceremony comes built with a nod to the next host city, in this case, London in 2012. And London rocketed in the excitement by cruising into Beijing via a double-decker bus. Whoo! Honk! Honk! (AFP/Getty Images)